Donbass Arena

Donbas Arena (Ukrainian: Донба́с Аре́на [donˈbɑs ɐˈrɛnɐ]; is a stadium with a natural grass pitch in Donetsk, Ukraine, that opened on 29 August 2009. The facility is located in the center of the city, in the Lenin Comsomol park. With a capacity of 52,187 spectators, the stadium used to host Shakhtar Donetsk matches and also hosted some matches of Euro 2012. The final cost of construction for Donbas Arena was $400M.[2][3] The stadium has been unused and closed to the public since May 2014, due to the war in Donbas.

Donbas Arena
UEFA Category 4 Stadium
LocationDonetsk, Ukraine
Coordinates48°1′15″N 37°48′35″E
OwnerShakhtar Donetsk
OperatorDonbas Arena
Capacity52,187
Field size105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Broke groundJune 27, 2006
Opened29 August 2009 (2009-08-29)
Closed2014 (due to war in Donbas)
Construction cost₴ 545 million
ArchitectArup Sports[1]
General contractorENKA
Tenants
Shakhtar Donetsk (2009–2014)

The name of the stadium represents the simplified and shortened name of the Donets Basin—huge industrial region of Donbas, hence—Donbas (Ukrainian: Донецький басейн or Донбас).

Construction and design
Construction site in August 2007

Construction began in 2006. The general contractor was a Turkish company ENKA. The Stadium was completed and opened in 2009. About 1,600 specialists, mainly Turkish, were involved in the construction.

Donbass Arena was designed by ArupSport. It was Project Managed by Arup Major Projects (Project Director Charles Goddard). Arup Sport also designed the City of Manchester Stadium (Manchester, England), Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany) and the Beijing National Stadium (Beijing, China). The soaring roof effect makes the Stadium resemble a flying saucer. The stadium has an oval shape and a glazed façade and is located near Regional Sport Complex Olimpiyskyi. The roof of the stadium slopes from north to south matching the landscape and contributing to the natural lighting and airing of the pitch. The external lighting makes the Stadium shine at night. A major design consideration was the ongoing protection of as much of the forest setting as possible (each tree having been planted in commemoration of deceased family members in the Great Patriotic War, and the exclusion zones to the neighbouring war memorials. A major geotechnical fault exists some 100m below the ground directly under the centre-spot. The building's foundations and piling was a major sub-project.[4]

Opening
Donetsk Donbas Arena in 2012

The Donbas Arena was completed ahead of schedule, but the grand opening was delayed until 29 August 2009 to coincide with the Ukrainian holiday of Miners Day, as well as Donetsk City day. Donetsk is in the Donbas region, a mining region, and the date was chosen for its symbolism. The primary tenant of the facility is the local professional football club Shakhtar Donetsk ("Donetsk Coal Miners").

American Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Beyoncé performed a show from her I Am... World Tour on the opening night of the new stadium. It was Knowles' first performance in Ukraine.[5] Beyoncé performed her famous hit Halo to honour the memory of Michael Jackson, who would have had his birthday on that day.

Many state officials attended the show designed by K-events Filmmaster Group. The opening ceremony was awarded as Event of the Year at the Stadium Business Awards on 18 June 2010 in Dublin.

Shakhtar Donetsk's first match at the stadium was a 4–0 victory in a 2009–10 Ukrainian Premier League fixture on 27 September 2009 against FC Obolon Kyiv.[6] The first international game took place on 18 November 2009 against Greece, which Ukraine lost 0–1 failing to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[7][8]

UEFA Euro 2012 matches

Donbass Arena was included in the official bidding project submitted by Poland and Ukraine for hosting UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium was one of the venues for the UEFA Euro 2012. The stadium hosted group D stage games and one quarter-final and one semi-final game (with the other matches in that group played at Olimpiyskyi National Sports Complex). Unlike most new stadiums being built in Poland and Ukraine, Donbass Arena was not specifically built for the tournament.

The following matches were played at the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2012:

Date Time (CEST / EEST) Team #1 Res. Team #2 Round Scorer(s)
11 June 201218:00 / 19:00 France1–1 EnglandGroup DJoleon Lescott
Samir Nasri
15 June 201218:00 / 19:002–0 UkraineJérémy Ménez
Yohan Cabaye
19 June 201220:45 / 21:45 England1–0Wayne Rooney
23 June 201220:45 / 21:45 Spain2–0 FranceQuarter-finalXabi Alonso (2)
27 June 201220:45 / 21:45 Portugal0–0 (a.e.t.)
(2–4 p)		 SpainSemi-final—

Other uses
Merchandise in the Shakhtar shop
Shakhtar Ultras in the stadium

The project of new stadium "Donbas Arena" was conceived long before Ukraine was named as co-host of Euro 2012. The owner considered the possibility of daily use of the arena. "Donbas Arena" includes three restaurants, a lounge-bar, a fan cafe, numerous fast-food outlets, retail outlets, a fitness center, corporate boxes and first aid rooms. The stadium also provides facilities for corporate events - presentations, press conferences, celebrations and concerts. Stadium tours are available which include an examination of the unique features of Donbas Arena, a visit to the footballers' rooms and FC Shakhtar Museum and a visit to the FC Shakhtar brand shop for souvenirs.[9]

The stadium was featured in the 2020 battle royale video game Call of Duty: Warzone, which depicts several real-life locations in Donetsk.[10][11]

War in Ukraine

On 20 May 2014, the stadium hosted a small "Peace March" against the violence of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.[12]

On 22 August 2014, the stadium was damaged by what was reported to be artillery shelling, as the Ukrainian armed forces clashed with pro-Russian separatists for control of the town.[13][14]

On 20 October 2014, the stadium was again damaged by what was reported to be artillery shelling. This time, the stadium sustained damage to the east and west sides and at least one large glass panel fell near a young girl.[15]

Since July 2014, due to the danger of the ongoing conflict in Donetsk, Shakhtar used the Arena Lviv in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine (600 miles away from Donetsk) as their temporary home ground.[16] In early 2017, the club moved their home games to the Metalist Stadium in Kharkiv (183 miles to the north of Donetsk).[17] Additionally, the club's administrative headquarters and player training sessions have been re-located to the capital city of Kyiv.[18]

The stadium has remained unused and closed to the public since FC Shakhtar were forced to abandon it. However, despite the on-going conflict, the stadium is slowly being repaired. On 31 May 2018, the field turf was successfully restored.[19]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

In March 2022, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Donbas Arena Football infrastructure continues to suffer from the war in Ukraine. The main stadium of Donetsk suffered some damage.[20]

Facts
  • 7,668 m2 (82,538 sq ft) natural turf will be used with 2,201 m2 (23,691 sq ft) synthetic turf
  • The total area of the construction site (including mobilization areas) is 254,907 m2
  • The land (including pitch), where the Stadium is located, is 46,780 m2
  • The height of the new stadium is 54m from pitch level to the top of the roof.
  • There are 227 lavatories with 471 toilets and 333 wash basins.
  • Over 120,000 m³ of concrete were poured during construction of the Stadium
  • Approximately 4,300 tonnes of steel were used for construction
  • Approximately 3,800 tonnes of steel were used for the roof structure.
  • Total glazing area is approximately 24,000 m2
  • The total area of the tiers is approximately 70,000 m2
  • The size of the football field is 105 m × 68 m (344 ft × 223 ft)

References
  1. Official data of stadium issued by arup Archived 2012-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Donbass Arena Ready to Open". Archived from the original on 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
  3. Donbass Arena: More than Elite Archived January 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Arup's specialist sport architects at Donbass Arena - Arup". www.arup.com. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  5. Beyonce to perform at the opening of Donbass Arena
  6. New Shakhtar stadium opens doors
  7. "Information about the Donbass Arena stadium at the FC Shakhtar Donetsk official site | FC Shakhtar Donetsk official site". shakhtar.com. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  8. says, Chris (9 October 2013). "Donbass Arena - Donetsk - The Stadium Guide". Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  9. "Ukrainian football giants: Five years in exile". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  10. "All Warzone locations in real life: Stadium, Airport, Tower & more". Dexerto. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  11. Carr, Joey. "Should the Stadium be opened in Warzone?". www.ggrecon.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
  12. Akhmetov called a strike at the enterprises in protest, Ukrainian Media Group (20 May 2014)
    Ukrainian tycoon Rinat Akhmetov confronts rebellion, BBC News (20 May 2014)
    Akhmetov's "Peace March" in Donetsk took 20 minutes, Interfax-Ukraine (20 May 2014)
    Businessman Akhmetov condemns 'genocide of Donbas,' calls for peaceful rally against 'Donetsk People's Republic', Interfax-Ukraine (20 May 2014)
  13. Champions League - Shakhtar stadium hit by explosions Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Shakhtar Donetsk: The Ukrainian serial winners forced to flee from war". BBC Sport. 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  15. Near miss for young girl at Donetsk stadium as blast hits
  16. "Shakhtar move base and home games". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 2023-01-15.
  17. Still in exile, Shakhtar Donetsk picks new home, The Washington Post (30 January 2017)
  18. Shakhtar Donetsk's Donbass Arena damaged by shelling
  19. ""Donbass Arena's" field turf was restored in Donetsk". rusvesna.su (in Russian). Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  20. ""Донбас-Арена" постраждала внаслідок обстрілу". www.sportyvka.com.ua. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
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